My 12 yr old daughter wants to be on MFP

TriumphNow

I would encourage her to eat healthy and stay active. I think counting calories at her age is too much, especially if she's not overweight. I love MFP but I think it's too much for a 12 year old, especially a lot of the posts on the message boards.

Taskcr

I've learned so much more from this site than just counting calories, its a whole life style change. You learn portion control and just eating healthy in general! I would talk with her doctor and ask how many calories she should be consuming in a day and help her create a mfp and do it with her! So you make sure she is eating the right amount of calories and getting all the nutrients she needs! Make it fun for you and her to do together Plus she will learn so much from this, that she will carry with her forever. Good luck!

Jennloella

I think there's too much BS on this site for someone that young, I'd tell her to get a good old fashioned pen and paper and keep track of it that way, nothing wrong with her being more aware of what she's putting in her body (I wish I had been taught when I was younger) there's also other sites that are free and strictly calorie counting, without the message boards and "friends" feature, if that's really all she wants to do....

asyouseefit

Big no-no. Girls that age shouldn't obsess over calories and, let's be honest, we all do obsess about calories here. Or almost all.
Encourage her to eat healthy and to play sports, she should be fine!

KavemanKarg

I say let her do it.

It is time consuming and boring and she will move on quick

lottycat

Gosh, that's an interesting thought. I'd agree with you that she should probably stay off this site for a couple more years. I mean I'm 28, generally pretty happy with my appearance and generally confident. Buuut even I'm inclined to get a little obsessed sometimes, and need to remind myself that going over by a little here and there isn't the end of the world. So it must be even more difficult for a 12 year old, who is going through all the normal stresses and strains of that testing time of life.

I think the answer is to just try and teach her all the stuff your learning from this site, make sure she eats healthy 80% of the time and keep reminding her just how beautiful she is.

On the plus side, it's fantastic that she's taking an interest in her health and fitness - you are obviously setting a great example.

Tiffanydepiano

I think she has to be 18 to be on MFP unless you make her a phony account.
I'll bet there are some cool fitness and healthy living sites for kids and teens that might work for her.
Maybe Google some and see if there is one that she likes.

Some folks on this site (myself included at times) can get somewhat inappropriate for pre teens.

SunLove8

What a great bunch of responses, thank you. She tried out for Volleyball this year for her school but didn't make it although she is really good. She'll be starting at the park and rec in Feb of 2012. She wanted to do guitar lessons so that is what she is doing right now. She's constantly walking and playing with our dog and as a family we stay active too. She also runs a lot in P.E. She refuses to play soccer anymore, basketball, etc. She only wants to play volleyball. I will go back to only having good foods in the house. Maybe I should show her myfoodpyramid.com...hmmm.

SPheonix22

You could let her on. Find the goal ranges for her growth( She shoul be gaining....not losin, of course) and let her chart it. At the very least she'll learn about food, and simply because of some of the things people say you might want to be there with her while shes on it. Trust me MFP is wayyyy better for her than facebook.

Helice

At 12 your just as vulnerable to like media perfection as you are at any age.
If not more because ur not fully a woman so u still look a bit like a bloke.
I can understand why she would care Alot about her weight, etc..
Especially how harsh kids can be in primary and secondary school..

But i dont think counting calories is the right way to go about it.
At her age i cared about my weight, but i felt i could trust my perants to feed me right and to make sure i ate healthily and maintained a good size. (turned out i was wrong, my mum would feed me Massive portions and be livid if i couldnt eat it all. which sometimes ended in me throwing up because id stuffed too much food in my mouth..).
But thats getting off the topic.
I think aslong as ur not a plonker when it comes to my food, like my mum was, your daughter should be able to trust that your making the right decisions for her to be thin, while being in the healthy bmi range.
Teach her how to eat healthy, and explain that calories isnt the most important part.

catcrazy

Site rules state that you have to be over 18 so its a No to her joining up.

I'd also be concerned about her wanting to calorie count at her age, I think a much better approach would be to introduce healthy eating, and healthy choices alongside some of the crud that kids enjoy so much...say offer a half portion of chips AND a side salad with a meal.

At her age appetite should be used as a guide, growing massively at this age, restricting calories could cause some serious long term problems without her ever becoming really skinny.

If she is carrying any extra weight its far better to encourage her to move more than eat less.

sweebum

I started gaining at 12 (puberty), I wish I could have got it under control then :ohwell: That said, I would supervise it. It's important for her to learn a healthy lifestyle without being obsessive.

infamousmk

There are so many other ways to teach a young girl healthy habits (both mentally and physically) than signing them up to an adult site for counting calories.

Get her active in a team sport. Have her help plan dinners and snacks. Guide her to role models that portray healthy, happy, self confidence.

Taskcr

I would encourage her to eat healthy and stay active. I think counting calories at her age is too much, especially if she's not overweight. I love MFP but I think it's too much for a 12 year old, especially a lot of the posts on the message boards.

SO TRUE I forgot about all the message boards.. okay.. thats why I think mom shoud do it with her if anything!! But yes... I do think it would be a bit too "old" for her to do on her own.

lakegirl76

I say let her do it!! I found a paper this summer of when we went to the nutritionist when I was about her age. I only had 13 pounds to lose at the time. I wish my mom would have followed through at the time instead of me now facing having to lose 100 pounds twenty years later.

debswebby

Personally speaking, I don't think a 12 year old needs to be worrying about calories. Encourage her to eat healthy and be active and that will set her up for life.
I was put on my first diet at 5 years old. I learned the calorie content of every food before I knew my times table. I was put on slimming pills at age 11. Did all this obssessing over my weight work? Well if it did I wouldn't be here.
I went from a slightly larger than average child to a morbidly obese adult.
There is nothing wrong with teaching kids to be healthy and I applaud that but please don't encourage her on the calorie counting and diet treadmill at such a young age.

This is just my personal experience. I'm no expert by any means xx

adidrea

You could start by supplying healthy foods and snacks in the house for her to eat, or inviting her to come along with you when you exercise. I do think that this site is a little too much for a 12 year old...especially if she reads the forums- some of the stuff people say on here is definitely not for a 12 year old. Just make sure you tell her that she looks just fine and that she's beautiful and to not worry about her weight! If she eats well and exercises everything else will fall in place

EDesq

I'm a bit concerned with my kiddo. She asked me last night out of nowhere if she can join and start counting calories so she doesn't over eat (I don't think she overeats but just sometimes she's more hungry than usual probley because of growing and hormones). She is not overweight according to her Doctor but she is in the higher percentile (always has been since a baby). I told her that I would not give in to pop tarts and junk food (my bad at times!) if she was wanting to get healthy, but I didn't think that counting calories is something she needs to worry about. I'm worried that she has a low self image although she says she doesn't and that perhaps her seeing me lose weight and being on here makes her want to follow my steps. What are your thoughts?

I think it is CRAZY! If you TEACH your daughter how to eat healthily that all that is needed. How in the world can anyone tell how much a kid should eat...their activity level and metabolism is/should be high. Example: Carrying those book bags all day from class to class, running around messing with other kids, running up and down stairs, P.E.in some schools, playing, even working at the computer and homework>>>All this stuff burns calories. So imagine trying to restrict a Growing kid to 1200 Calories after having a day like above!!!

Just give them an appetite for Healthy Foods, restrict the sugary treats, sodas and chips, encourage activity.

PlunderBunneh

I second the idea of a paper diary for food tracking. I did the same about that age, (although I quickly lost interest), but it isn't a bad idea for her to get an idea of what is in the food she is choosing. However, there is a reason the site is for over 18 only. Don't let her obsess over food, but if she wants to join you in becoming more aware of the quality of her intake, don't discourage that.

kristilovescake

Counting calories at her age seems like it could be setting her up for an eating disorder later in life (or later in teens) because she would possibly start obsessing about calories and getting thin. It could also be distracting to her social/school life.

What I would do is to start focusing on the healthy aspects of eating and teaching her about vitamins, minerals, and macro nutrients instead of calories. This could be a great opportunity to teach her the importance of making healthy decisions and more about what healthy food does for the body (the purpose of protein, fiber, water, etc.)

It would also be good to start exercising with her on a small scale, maybe going for walks together, and teaching her about the importance of exercise and how it makes her stronger and healthier (not necessarily just burning calories).

But having been the chubby kid, being chubby sucks, so doing a little bit of exercise together and eating healthier so she can lose a little bit of weight would probably be good for her self esteem as long as it's slow and gradual to be healthier and not focusing on getting skinny quick.

Just my two cents, from a non-parent that hasn't been there It could be a great learning opportunity, but I don't think she should be learning about and focusing on calories at this point.